TASTEE Lethal Tactics

This post is from the now defunct website “A GameDev Plays…”, copied here for posterity

More simultaneous turn-based goodness with TASTEE: Lethal
Tactics. While the gameplay is very similar to
Frozen Synapse, that is
definitely not a bad thing. Plus this game makes a few improvements too,
ensuring it is a worthwhile addition to the genre.

In TASTEE: Lethal Tactics the player controls a squad of four
mercenaries in tactical combat (surprise!). The objective is to
eliminate opponents or collect items or control certain areas of the
map. As will be familiar to players of similar games, the basic mechanic
is to give the mercenaries a plan (move here, look there, etc), then
when ready click Commit and watch all teams execute their plans
simultaneously. Repeat until the the mission is completed. Controls are
quite standard: set movement waypoints by clicking on the map and
right-clicking for commands to run, crouch, or look. Attacking opponents
occurs automatically with the outcome based on who is calmest and
fastest to shoot. It is possible to test out plans before committing
them, and replaying the outcome from previous turns.

So far, so Frozen Synapse. How does TASTEE differentiate itself? Most
obvious is the graphics. Gone is the abstract view. Instead, this game
is fully 3D in a modern western setting (think Hell or High
Water or
Justified) but
with a slight comic book look to the characters. It can sometime be hard
to identify cover or enemies as they do not standout, but there are
tooltips to help. The camera can also zoom and tilt, giving the game a
tabletop miniatures feel. I think this works very well. Although perhaps
it is harder to achieve, as gone are procedurally generated maps,
replaced with 10 bespoke (clean and pretty) maps.

There are also a few other improvements. Characters also have a small
amount of health, so it is not always (but usually) one hit is a kill.
Furthermore, in addition to the standard categories of unit (sniper,
rifle, grenades, shotgun), TASTEE adds subcategories via special
actions. So perhaps your shotgunner can also scout out enemies or your
grenade person can launch an especially big grenade. Once everyone is
unlocked through the campaign, there are 12 different characters to use.
Best of all, at the start of each mission, the player choses who to
take! Want 3 snipers, sure go ahead. This is a good change and adds a
level of meta strategy to the game.

The game comes with a single-player campaign, instant skirmishes, and
online duels. There is also a daily challenge with an online scoreboard
so everyone can see the results. The campaign has a story, but it does
not appear very important. This game is mainly about the online games
and the developers seem to be putting quite a bit of effort into
building community, with many polished and slick online integrations. As
well as the online duels and daily challenge, there are links for
Twitch broadcasting and an online chat server.
An online competition is on right now.

I like these games, and this is a well-made entry into the genre. For
those new to this type of game, it is definitely giving a try. Fans of
the category will find playing like slipping on a well-loved sweater,
but also with some nice improvements over similar games. If you are
ready to wear the simultaneous turn-based sweater again, then TASTEE:
Lethal Tactics is worth considering.

TASTEE: Lethal Tactics is available on the Steam
store for PC only at
US$14.99. It has not yet been bundled.